The poems of spring: Thesis haikus

There are the traditions that take a generation to grow. And then there are Fletcher traditions, which can establish themselves in the blink of an eye. Such is the story of thesis haikus. Scroll back one year to an unusual suggestion from one student to others that they summarize their theses as haikus. Fletcher thesis haikus share the ancient Japanese poetry’s three line (seventeen syllable) format. What Fletcher “thes-kus” lack in seasonal imagery, they make up for in variety and creativity. So here is a sample of 2011 thesis titles and related haikus, submitted by students to each other at the prompting of Elspeth Suthers, whose example sets the tone:

Elspeth Suthers
Corruption and Ethnic Tensions in Georgia and Kyrgyzstan — Reconceiving the Citizen-State Relationship In the Former USSR
Kyrgyzstan. Georgia.
Governance not good for me
Stalin’s ghost laughing.

Andrew Daehne
Hip-Hop and Politics in Senegal: The Power of a Movement to Mobilize Through Music
Hip-hop, politics.
Would Senegal please stand up?
Rap, vote with your beat.

Jacqueline DeelstraCitizen Monitoring of Government Service Delivery: Using Mobile Phones to Amplify Citizen Voice and Enforce Accountability. A case study of Kenya, Tanzania and UgandaGovernment neglect
People need water, teachers
SMS can help?

Ida Norheim Hagtun
Humanitarian Action Powered by SMS — What Are the Ethics and Accountability Implications of Using SMS to ‘Crowdsource’ Humanitarian Needs Assessments?
You gave them a say.
Now they expect proper aid.
Are you ready yo?

Trevor KeckBlurring the Lines: When does a Civilian Lose Protection under the Laws of War
Who is a civilian and who is a combatant?
Nobody knows.
But target civilians, and you may end up at the Hague.

Laura Kuhl
From a Culture of Disaster Response to a Culture of Adaptation: Addressing Flooding and Climate Change in Honduras
Disaster response
Climate change adaptation
Time to transition.

Althea Middleton-DetznerCorporate-Community Relations and the Role of Nonviolent Action/Civil Resistance: The Case of Freeport-PT Mining in West Papua, Indonesia
Blockades Shut Freeport
How does company react
to People Power?

David Reidy
Who Are Those Guys? Improving Spoiler Typologies and Analyzing Motivation, Consent, and New Warfare Actors for the United Nations
Is it a spoiler?
Or perhaps insurgency?
Aren’t they the same?

Sara Van WieChild Victims of Grave Crimes and Violations and Their Experiences of Remedy and Reparation in Sierra Leone
Sierra Leone
Reparation for children
Access? Not so much.

Cheney Wells
The role of remittances in Cuba’s private sector expansion: A shift in Cuba’s remittance landscape from traditional consumption purposes to productive investment use
A fresh pair of sneaks
Got Family in Miami
Show me the money!

Colin WoodMozambique and the Perils of Megaproject-Led Economic Development
Aluminum plant
World Bank Mozambique scheming
But where are the jobs?

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[…] at the Tufts Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy have created a new tradition: thesis haikus. Fletcher’s Admissions News blog explains: Fletcher thesis haikus share the ancient Japanese poetry’s three line (seventeen […]